Box Score The Concordia Men's Basketball Team fell to Tarleton State Saturday in Stephenville, Texas. Tarleton State entered the competition ranked No. 10 in the NABC National Poll, and defeated the Eagles 67-58. The win in Wisdom Gym advanced the Texans to 3-0 on the year, while Concordia is now 1-3.
The Eagles fell behind early 3-11 from a string of layups and free throws, and extended three more on a three-point shot from Ridell Camidge.
Tad Dufelmeier responded for the Eagles scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds. Although the Eagles never captured a lead, they came within two entering halftime, behind 31-29.
Concordia shot 40 percent from the field, but only 13.3 percent (2-15) on three-point attempts. The Eagles limited the Texans to a 37 percent field goal percentage, but Tarleton knocked in nine of 12 on free throws.
Geoff Gerlach gave Concordia two and the tie to start off the second half, but then the Texans took a seven point run to gain the 38-31 advantage.
With five minutes left to play, the Texans claimed a 13-point lead on a three-pointer from Camidge.
Mike Mellinger's magic of two jumpers and two three-pointers put Concordia within three. Tarleton came back with four consecutive free throws to secure a seven-point lead with 2:26 left.
Despite coming within six points of Tarleton, the Texans were not going to crack for Concordia. They hit 10-10 free throws in the final minute of play to secure a 67-58 victory.
The Texans held the Eagles to a 35 percent field goal percentage and 6-30 on three-point attempts. Concordia made 10-15 free throws, but sacrificed 27 points to the Texans from the line.
Mellinger and Dufelmeier both had double digit points, scoring 15 and 12, respectively. Dufelmeier also delivered four assists and two steals.
"I was very pleased with the effort and focus tonight," Head Coach Ken Ammann said. "We came here to battle adversity and play a good team on the road."
Although the team created scoring opportunities, the team simply struggled to convert the shots in to points, Ammann said.
"Before the last three minutes we were 2/25 from three and it's very difficult to beat a good team with that percentage," Ammann added.
The Eagles return home Tuesday to face off against Westmont College at CU Arena at 7:30 p.m.
"I'm not happy being 1-3 but I really believe we are on the right track and we are extremely close to being the team we can be."Â
